The senior Republican on the Banking Committee and senior senator from Alabama, who is blocking lauded economist Peter Diamond from joining the Federal Reserve
“„[Sen. Richard] Shelby says Diamond lacks expertise in so-called monetary policy — the setting of interest rates and other tools that are used to influence the nation’s economic growth, employment and inflation.
“„“While the Nobel Prize for economics is a significant recognition, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences does not determine who is qualified to serve on the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System,” Shelby said Monday.